Developing a “plan of attack” to
incorporate reading strategies.
Students need to develop strategic
reading behavior and build a strong,
personal repertoire of reading strategies
so that they can successfully use them
when needed.
Encouraging students to use effective
reading test taking strategies will assist
them with their comprehension on the
FCAT 2.0 Reading Test.
Scaffolding the language for ESL Learners
All learning areas place literacy demands on learners. The language of
tests may include new or unfamiliar words for ESL learners and the
meanings need to be made explicit to these students. Teachers should
consider some strategies to allow ESL learners to access the language
of the questions.
Provide opportunities for learner repetition and practice of target
language.
Scaffold oral language thoroughly before setting reading tasks.
Accept the language offered by the learners and with positive
feedback, model the Standard English version.
Introduce the new terminology together with concrete activities,
e.g. synonyms - have students create flash cards with a variety of
synonyms. In groups students use the cards to play ‘Snap’
Encourage learners to rephrase the questions in a format that is
familiar to them but still has the same meaning.
Understanding that text
features such as italics, bold
print headings and subheadings, captions and labels
convey meaning, and help
readers get an overview of the
selection’s genre, text
structure, main ideas, purpose,
etc. is important.
Preview the text and its features (headings, words in bold
print, pictures/charts with captions). Give the text a quick
read over for anything that jumps out at you “skim & scan”.
Teaching the meaning of words
or phrases that are found in
comprehension questions is
critical in helping students
make sense of what is being
asked.
According to
Information
Attitudes
Interpret
Author
Italics
Best
In what order
Caption
Judgment
Cues
Key words/factor
Definition
Label
Describe
Main message
Extract
Main idea
Effect
Match
Expressions
Means
Find evidence from Most likely
the text
generated
Identify
Opinion
Illustrator
Paragraph
Indicates
Phrase
Infer
Purpose
Question
Refers to
Relates to
Represents
Sequence
Shows
Statement means
Suggests
Sub-heading
Symbol
Techniques
Text
Theme
Title
Tone
Vocabulary
Valid reason
What is another word for …
Read over the questions, read them one at a time without answering them.
Circle key words, phrases, and/or names in the question that require you to
look for specific information in the passage.
Predicting what the text is about
helps to orientate the reader.
Making Predictions encourages active
reading and keep students in tuned to
what they are reading.
Incorrect predictions can signal a
misunderstanding that needs to be
clarified.
Go back to the text. Begin reading the text starting with the title. Read over
all the text features, including the author’s name, any information giving the
author’s credentials, footnotes, captions, etc. Make a prediction about what
you think the text is about. Write it to the side of the selection’s title.
Remember to go back and clarify your prediction if necessary after reading
the entire selection.
Title
Caption
Subheading
Map
CHUNKING the text makes the
demands on the reader’s
memory more manageable.
Writing key words in the margin by reflecting
on each paragraph or sub-section and
identifying key messages or key words at the
end of each paragraph or sub-section is a
useful and effective reading strategy.
Using these key words or phrases to assist in
locating information when answering
questions is also very helpful.
Divide the text into smaller chunks to make it easier to read and
understand. It may be helpful to draw a line after each section you
chunk.
Read each chunked section and write a few words about it, a gist, or
what that section is about. Circle key words, phrases, or names that you
remember from the questions you previously previewed. It is important
to take marginal notes to help you connect with what you are reading as
you move through the selection. These notes will be useful in helping you
locate information in the text, when answering questions about the
selection you have read .
The author
realizes
that she
has
mistaken a
school of
sea lions
for
snorkelers
Melina B.
editor and
chief N.G.
vac. to
Galapagos
Island
Animals on
G.I. not
afraid of
human
contact b/c
its rare
Visualizing what is being read
creates mental pictures in
the minds of readers.
Visualization helps readers
engage with text in ways that
make it personal and memorable.
Create a mental picture in your mind of what you have read.
Try to connect the information you have read with your prior
knowledge. Remember all the information you need to answer
the questions is found implicitly or explicitly in the text.
Recognizing the Author’s
purpose, Perspective, or
Intent is important in
understanding the Essential
Message.
When you have finished reading the selection, write the Main Idea or
Essential Message of the overall selection above the title.
Galapagos Islands’
wildlife is important
and should be
protected. (M.I.)
Galapagos Islands’ wildlife is important and should be
protected. M.I.
Teaching strategies to assist
students in answering different
types of the reading questions is
an effective test taking
technique.
Students require a range of skills when
answering reading comprehension questions.
Developing strategies to assist students with
managing all of the reading processes will
enable them to identify and understand
explicitly what the question’s cognitive
demand is.
Questions on FCAT are categorized by
cognitive complexity:
Low
Moderate
High complexity
Based on Webb’s Depth of Knowledge
Questions with low cognitive complexity:
 One-step
problem
 Require only a basic understanding of text
 Comprise only 10-20% of FCAT
 “Right there” answers (QAR)
 Recall questions (who, what, where, when,
why), retelling, summarizing
Questions with moderate cognitive
complexity:
 Two-step process
 Require some inference
 Comprise 50-70% of FCAT
 Answers are “between the lines”
 Think and Search (QAR)
 Author and Me (QAR)
Questions with high cognitive complexity:
 Require
several steps
 Require complex inferences across texts
 Comprise 20-30% of FCAT
 Answers are “beyond the lines”
 Author and Me (QAR)
 On My Own (QAR)
 QAR—Question-Answer
Relationships
Strategy that that allows students to see
the relationships between the type of
question asked, the text, and the reader’s
prior knowledge.
 Students
learn how to distinguish
questions with answers that are found “in
the book” (Text Explicit questions) and
questions with answers that are found “in
my head” (Text Implicit questions).
QAR
In-the-Text Questions


Right There
Questions

Think and Search
Questions
The answer is in the
text; The words
used in the question
and the words used
for the answer can
usually be found in
the same sentence.

The answer is in the
text, but the words used
in the question and those
used for the answer are
NOT in the same
sentence. The student
needs to think about
different parts of the
text and how ideas can
be put together before
answering the question.
In-My-Head Questions
 Author
and You
Questions
On My Own Questions
 The
 The
answer is not
explicitly in the
text. The student
must think about
what he/she
knows, what the
author says, and
how they fit
together.
answer is not in
the text. The answer
is based on the
reader’s own
experiences and
background
knowledge.
 Right
There
 Level
1 Knowledge
Information in the text
 Think
and Search
Information in several places in text
 Level
 Author
and me
2
Comprehension and
Level 3 Application
Information both in and out of text
 Level
 On
My Own
4 Analysis and
Level 5 Synthesis
Information NOT in the text but from
background knowledge
 Level
6 Evaluation





Introduce QAR using a visual aid and a short
selection to demonstrate the relationships.
Model identifying and answering questions at each
level of QAR.
With teacher guidance, students practice
identifying and answering questions at each of the
levels.
Students apply QAR to the reading of their
regular texts.
For younger students or struggling readers,
teachers introduce and practice one level at a
time before introducing the next level.
 Students’
understanding and recall can be
shaped by the types of questions to which
they become accustomed (Duke and Pearson,
2002)
 Students’ generation of their own questions
about text improves overall comprehension
(Yopp, 1988; Raphael and Pearson, 1985)
Read each question carefully to make sure you understand what it is
asking you to do. Try to determine what steps, task or thought processes
the question requires in order to locate the correct answer in the text.
Look back at the text and find where the correct information is located.
Use your marginal notes to help you quickly find the section(s ) that the
answer is most likely in. Underline the answers in the article. Next read
all the answer choices before choosing an answer. Eliminate any answer
choices that you know are wrong. Watch out for distracters. Choose the
best answer from among the remaining choices that is supported by
evidence in the selection.
WATCH OUT FOR
DISTRACTERS!
Distracters may include:
incorrect reliability of information
Distracters may include:
•
Incorrect inference or conclusion or not the MAIN one
Distracters may include:

Incorrect analysis of information
Distracters may include:
Answers that are correct but not the best
choice:
Distracters may include;

Incorrect method of development
Distracters may include:

Incorrect causes or effects
Distracters may include:
o
Wrong statements of author’s purpose
Distracters may include:

Incorrect synthesis of information from multiple
sources:
Distracters may include:

Meaning of a word, but not, as used in context
Remember there is no substitute
for good teaching. Infusing
Effective Reading Strategies across
the curriculum, throughout the
school year is the best way to
ensure that students are prepared
for success on the FCAT Reading
Test. More importantly, it is the
best way to ensure they become
life long proficient readers.